This year in Sydney from June 6th to 8th, Limmud-Oz has some great international speakers, as well as incredible local presenters. You can view the full schedule here, but we thought we’d highlight some of the speakers and sessions NIF supporters might find interesting.

On 4 May 2015 Breaking the Silence, an organisation of active and reserve duty IDF soldiers, released a set of testimonies from more than 60 soldiers who took part in Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in 2015. The testimonies are taken from individuals who served in the army, navy and air force, as well as those in headquarters and command centres. Around a quarter of the testimonies come from officers who rank as high as major.

The New Israel Fund supports the struggle of the Ethiopian community to eliminate the racism and institutionalised discrimination that threatens them in Israel, including systematic mistreatment and profiling by the police.

All the noise made by the Public Housing Forum in the weeks leading up to the election is paying off: Just five days after the election, the Bank of Israel called on the new government to decrease the country’s growing poverty rate by increasing the number of public housing units -- especially in the country’s centre where it’s easier to find employment -- as well as increasing rental assistance for people who qualify.

NIF Australia invites you to a post-election conversation with Naomi Chazan. Naomi, with more than a decade of experience in the Knesset, will help process all the results from the election, and provide insight on Israel’s likely direction going forward.

The New Israel Fund Australia Foundation is a leading organisation committed to social justice, human rights and democracy in Israel. We work with Israelis experiencing poverty, discrimination and injustice to create a more inclusive, tolerant and equal society. Based on the vision of the country’s founders, we work towards an Israel that is “based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel… [and] complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex.”